Cure for Nausea

I woke up this morning with nausea and dizziness. Very uncomfortable. As you know the last thing I do when I’m unwell is reach for medicine. I turned instead to my knowledge of healing with foods and tried to locate a food that has medicinal values. A food that would cure my symptoms and not make my condition worse.

The strange thing about feeling ill is that it becomes hard to focus or to even think straight and remember the remedies that work for you so I had to resort to reading through my books. Thank god for the written word – because it can immediately jog your memory.

What then are the cures for nausea?

Ginger – ginger ale (flat is probably better), ginger candy, pickled ginger left over from your Sushi – all these are wonderful. Are they however at arm’s reach? Often the answer will be ‘no’ and when your head is reeling you aren’t going to be able to rush off to get these from the store. So, unless you live with your family or have an able and willing partner, you have to reach for what’s on the kitchen shelf. Most Indian kitchens are incomplete without a piece of fresh ginger – so that’s your best bet. Boil it up, cool the water and drink it. If you have candied ginger, chew a piece of it. I had just returned from a trip to my favourite Maitreyi store where they have a new item. A powdered ginger lemon drink that you dissolve in cold water and drink. Mmmm… delicious. That helped a lot.

MINT – is another great reliever of nausea. Mint tea, mint capsules (Pudin hara in India) or a mint and lemon drink ( no, not Mojito – please leave out the alcohol and the sugar) should help quell that rising unease.

Once you have the nausea under control, take it easy, lie down and rest so as not to set it off again. Ensure you drink plenty of fresh water during the day. Don’t allow yourself to get too hungry and although I know it’s difficult to eat with that nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach, you can nibble at a cracker, at bits of apple or pop in a nut or two. A clear chicken broth ( unless you’re vegetarian) should help too.

I find that meditation helps to control nausea. If you know yoga, then remember your nadi shodan and do that. If you’ve never done yoga or practised nadi shodan – now is not the time to begin.

Remember to try and figure out the cause of the nausea. If you can’t find a reason ( a hangover, not eating in time, something bad you ate) head to the nearest doctor. Nausea is often a symptom of something that needs to be treated. So don’t ignore it.

The good thing about home remedies is that they rarely suppress symptoms. If the nausea can be treated with a home remedy and goes away, you’re fine. If not, you know it’s something that needs a doctor’s attention. BUT , if you pop an anti nausea pill before you’ve seen the doctor (or instead of) then you have suppressed some vital evidence that she/he needs to make the proper diagnosis.